Hackintosh Maker Releases Liquid-cooled Core i7

By Marcus Yam
published

Not cheap, but cheaper than a Mac Pro.

Apple hasn't taken very kindly to those making Hackintosh computers and then selling them. While Psystar was successfully taken down by Apple, Quo Computer is pressing on ahead with a new, high-end Mac Pro clone.

Announced today is a new maxQ2 system that is liquid cooled by Asetek. The system itself is billed as able to run Mac OS X, Linux, and Windows 7, but there's always that extra wink accompanied with the Apple OS capability.

"QUO specializes in computers aimed at those who want the fastest, most overclockable systems without the time required to custom configure one themselves," said QUO founder Rashantha De Silva. "We selected Asetek Liquid Coolers to deliver quiet operation plus the thermal headroom for overclocking the maxQ2 because they feature a sealed liquid loop that is reliable and eliminates customer maintenance. This is the type of elegance Apple enthusiasts treasure."

The maxQ2 is powered by an Intel Core i7 6 Core 3.6Ghz CPU, 12GB of RAM, a 240GB SSD, a 1TB HD, and an NVIDIA 285 GTX configured to take advantage of the Adobe Mercury Playback Engine. The maintenance-free Asetek 550LC features an integrated pump and copper cold plate connected to a 120mm heat exchanger.

"Asetek recently demonstrated how liquid cooling can both quiet and increase the performance of an Apple Mac Pro," said Steve Branton, Director of Marketing at Asetek. "QUO's liquid cooled maxQ2 computers enable Mac OS X enthusiasts to get the benefits of liquid cooling in an extremely powerful computer, without the effort of retrofitting liquid cooling into an existing Mac Pro."

The maxQ2 will be available with Asetek liquid cooling for $3,765 on September 15, 2010.

Marcus Yam
Marcus Yam
Marcus Yam served as Tom's Hardware News Director during 2008-2014. He entered tech media in the late 90s and fondly remembers the days when an overclocked Celeron 300A and Voodoo2 SLI comprised a gaming rig with the ultimate street cred.
42 Comments Comment from the forums
  • nevertell
    Still, building your own system or even buying one from dell would be more cost-effective.
    Reply
  • pito
    Dell? Really? try something like CyberPowerPC.com, unless you like to pay double of the actual price for any part upgrade. even that you already pay for the primary part on the original build price.
    Reply
  • tolham
    what do mac users need with a 6-core high-end system? do itunes and garage band really hog up that much power?
    Reply
  • justinjkiss
    are u an stupid... if you build your own you might be able to make a Hackintosh.... if you buy from Dell you WONT be able to make a Hackintosh....

    This article is about hackintosh not price comparisons and you did an apples to oranges comparison. have you ever priced a Mac Pro?
    Reply
  • adamspc
    are u an stupid

    Not a very good start to that argument.
    Reply
  • nforce4max
    The only turn off for me about hackentosh is drivers :s even though I really want to set one up.
    Reply
  • meat81
    Why are they using and older generation video card, why not a 460?
    Reply
  • thegreathuntingdolphin
    Ya what's up with the GTX 285? Are the GTX 400 series not compatible with macs?
    Reply
  • DrInfested
    I'm not a big Apple fan, but I think that Tom's Hardware would do well to stop throwing in jabs at Apple in their articles. It's not very professional.

    At any rate, I would love to own such a computer, but unfortunately, installing Mac OS X on a non Apple machine breaks the EULA, so I won't be doing it.
    Reply
  • soccerplayer88
    meat81Why are they using and older generation video card, why not a 460?
    NVIDIA 285 GTX configured to take advantage of the Adobe Mercury Playback Engine

    The 460 does not support AMPE with current Nvidia drivers.
    Reply